Posts Tagged ‘subaru hybrid’

Subaru may have tipped its hand, offering a glimpse of what it has coming in the not-too-distant future with the unveiling of the new Viziv 2 concept vehicle at the Geneva Motor Show.

The design of the plug-in hybrid vehicle is a likely forerunner of what we’ll be seeing with the next Subaru CrossTrek, according to company insiders. The distinctive 4-motor hybrid-electric drive system, meanwhile, could indicate how the Japanese maker will adapt its signature all-wheel-drive systemto the demands for cleaner, more fuel-efficient technology.

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The Viziv 2 “signifies a future path” for Subaru, suggested Tomahiko Ikeda, a senior executive with Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries, during the concept vehicle’s Geneva debut. “To progress, we must evolve. The Viziv 2 is an example.”

Subaru may have some big news in store for the Geneva Motor Show next month, the maker offering up a teaser of the next-generation Viziv Concept vehicle and hinting that it’ll have more to say about its hybrid plans.

To confuse things a bit, the Subaru Viziv 2 Concept is actually the third show car to use that name, following the earlier Viziv Concept and Viziv Evolution Concept, the latter unveiled only last November at the Tokyo Motor Show.

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Subaru was slow to the hybrid game, only recently introducing its first model, a gas-electric version of the XV Crosstrek. But it has hinted there’s more to come – and perhaps we’ll learn a bit when the Viziv 2 makes its debut at Geneva’s PALExpo convention center on March 4th.

The new Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid at its NY Auto Show debut last week.

Subaru is on track for its sixth consecutive year of increased demand – and another annual record, according to its new U.S. president.

The little maker defied the industry trends by posting a string of sales increases even during the worst automotive downturn since the Great Depression. It has gained even more momentum since the U.S. automotive market began to rebound three years ago. For 2012, Subaru sold 336,441 units: a 26% increase compared with the previous year.

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Tom Doll, promoted last month from COO to President of Subaru of America, said during a press conference at the New York International Auto Show that sales have gotten off to another strong start in 2013, lifting expectations for another year of record sales. Since 2007, Subaru is the only carmaker to post a continuous string of sales increases over the last five years.

After a series of false starts, Subaru finally has its first gas-electric model, the XV Crosstrek Hybrid, making its formal debut at this week’s New York International Auto Show. Expect to see more hybrids, as well as an all-electric model, possibly even a plug-in hybrid model, the Japanese maker’s top U.S. executive told TheDetroitBureau.com – but not anytime soon.

Between consumer demand and regulatory requirements, Subaru is being pressed to expand its “electrification” effort, said Tom Doll, recently promoted to president of Subaru of America. But as with the effort that finally brought the Crosstrek to market, Subaru isn’t in a rush.

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“You probably won’t see more from us until around 2016 or 2017,” Doll explained, following the official roll out of the XV Crosstrek Hybrid.

Subaru, the brand that helped popularize all-wheel-drive, is now trying its hand at hybrids.

The Japanese automaker unveiled its first-ever production gas-electric model, the Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid, at its 2013 New York International Auto Show press preview.

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The official unveiling comes barely a month after the Japanese maker revealed a plug-in hybrid concept, the DIZIV, at the Geneva Motor Show. The two announcements could signal that Subaru sees some serious opportunities going forward in alternative propulsion.

Little Subaru is nothing if not creative, coming up with some groundbreaking new designs over the years, such as the Outback and WRX. But it’s late to the party when it comes to hybrid-electric vehicles, a costly development challenge facing most small automakers.

Now, the Japanese maker is finally weighing in with a gas-electric model of its own. The Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid will make its debut at the upcoming New York Auto Show – alongside what it is billing as an “all-new performance concept car.”

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Could that be the next-generation version of the Subaru WRX? That’s what a lot of folks are hoping, but the maker is mum on the subject.

Subaru isn’t saying much about the Crosstrek, either. The production model is based on the earlier XV Crosstrek concept vehicle. It is expected to use one of the maker’s familiar boxer engines mated to a small battery-drive system, both power sources linked through Subaru’s time-tested Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system.

The Subaru Advanced Tourer Concept shown at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show featured a hybrid drivetrain.

Subaru is getting ready to roll out its first hybrid as it continues to refresh its product line, which has doubled in its market share in the U.S. over the past five years.

Officials from the Japanese automaker declined to offer any details about the new hybrid, which is expected to make its debut at the New York Auto Show at the end of March. But Kenichi Yamamoto, director of product management and coordination at Subaru of America, confirmed parent Fuji Heavy Industries is working on a hybrid model.

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Other Subaru officials also acknowledged that a hybrid vehicle was in the works and could debut this spring.

Yamamoto explained that Subaru’s interest in hybrid vehicles follows the steady expansion of hybrid sales in Japan. Hybrids now account for a large and growing share of the new vehicles sold in Japan particularly those from Toyota, Honda and Nissan, Japan’s three largest automakers.

The Hybrid Tower concept signals the Japanese maker's plan to launch its first -electric model in 2012, though U.S. plans haven't been revealed.

Late to the game, Subaru nevertheless plans to launch its first hybrid by 2012, company officials told TheDetroitBureau.com, during an interview at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Though a global roll-out is planned, they cautioned that there are no specific plans in place for bringing the gasoline-electric vehicle to the U.S., though it will make it to the market eventually.

During a news conference in L.A., vice president Michael McHale noted that the Japanese automaker has already sold more vehicles, through November, than it did all last year, despite the otherwise horrid conditions of the American auto market.

“We predict we’ll end 2009 with an all-time record, said McHale.

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The planned hybrid will be loosely based on the Hybrid Tower Concept, a gull-winged show car first seen at the Tokyo Motor Show, in October, and now on display in L.A. The prototype, an official noted, was designed to demonstrate that Subaru’s trademark boxer engine can be used in a hybrid powertrain.